"edelweiss." >> "edelweiss"? [harp playing] austrian folk song. >> every morning you greet me small and white clean and bright you look happy to meet me ♪ great-grandchildren of the maria sofia, 20-year-old melanie, and 16-year-old justin, the von

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edelweiss, edelweiss bless my homeland forever blossom of snow may you bloom and grow bloom and grow forever edelweiss, edelweiss bless my homeland forever

bless my homeland forever ♪ [cheering and applause] oprah: von trapp children you for being here. 45 years in times have you all seen "the >> quite a lot. the tradition of the von trapp

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with new year's eve coming up we're reminded about the dangers of drinking and driving. it's not the biggest danger teenagers face. >> phone company at&t has released a documentary reminding teens of a very dangerous combination out there. it involves the company's very own product. here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: where r u? lol. text messages, often short and to the point. but as a new awareness campaign will show you, texts can also be deadly. >> first thing i noticed about her was her shoes lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood. she was going to graduate the next day. just sad. sorry. just -- sad. >> reporter: in a riveting

anti-texting and driving documentary, people who know just how dangerous it can be talk about how their lives were changed by a text. there was a girl who sent the last text her sister ever got. >> if i could talk to her one last time i would just say i'm sorry. >> reporter: he looked down for just a second and hit a cyclist. >> i sent one stupid, meaningless text. lol. and killed a man. >> reporter: then there's a passenger whose life was changed forever when the driver sent a text. >> it was a direct collision. >> reporter: and finally, the mother who threw a birthday party for her daughter. the same girl who never made to it her graduation also never made it to her 19th birthday. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: the dangers of texting and driving have been widely reported, but this documentary targets the heaviest texters. teens. >> you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident if you're texting and driving. we don't want anyone to use our technology unless they're safe. >> reporter: earlier this month,

"good morning america" gathered a group of 16, 17, and 18-year-old drivers at freehold township high school in new jersey to get an honest sense of their texting habits. >> it's like an everyday thing. it's like -- like brushing your teeth. you do it every day. >> it's a big part of me that i can never put my phone in my glove box and leave it there. >> if there's no other cars around i'll text. sometimes i think that i'm invincible or that it can't happen to me. >> reporter: we had nearly 40 high schoolers, many who admitted they text and drive, watch the documentary. >> it's a really horrific scene. >> reporter: when it was over, a surprising response. almost every hand went up. and the teens who first admitted they text while driving now had a whole new attitude. >> the saddest part is, is that all these kids were my age. >> my first thought after i saw the movie was putting my phone in the trunk. even in the back seat i could still reach it.

and i want nothing to do with it after that, watching that video. >> nothing's more important than your life. >> reporter: sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> at&t does deserve some level of credit for putting that out there. we have to wonder after the effects of documentary wear off, whether it's a message that will stick with kids next time they're in the car. hearing it is one thing. actually it's in your hand and the car, that's another set of circumstances. >> yeah, it is troubling. i will say it's not just teenagers. i know that story was about teenagers. adults and e-mail can be just as guilty. >> so many distractions. >> put the phone down. coming up next the blockbuster holiday film with a rather involved behind the scenes romance. >> and what a gift for elton john. that's next in "the skinny." llll

welcome back, everybody. what a year natalie portman is having. not only a huge success with "the black swan," all kinds of award nominations coming out. even more good news for her now. she is engaged and is pregnant

on top of all that. she's having quite a year here. she's 29 years old and her fiance and father of her child is benjamin millepied, who actually starred with her, as choreographer in real life and also starred with her in the movie. this is the scene with them together. if you saw the movie this now is natalie's man. they met during production of the film and hit it off, apparently. they are engaged and she's 29, he's 33, the baby's due sometime next year. so we want to send our congrats to natalie. she's having a nice 2010. >> yes. >> it's going to be a really cool 2011 for her as well. >> no doubt. she's got a couple of films coming out back to back. >> i think a comedy's next. having seen "black swan," it was kind of a deep, dark kind of thing. taking a lighter turn coming up next. >> very deep in tone. let's talk about elton john.ñiáó

elton john and his partner, david furnish, welcoming a new baby into their family. >> aw, all kinds of baby news in "the skinny" this morning. >> the baby boy was born on christmas to a surrogate, of course, weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces. the baby's name, zachary jackson levon furnish-john. >> that's the longest baby name -- >> i don't think one of those license plates you're going to find that, necessarily. maybe just zachary there. congratulations to them. this is the first child for john and furnish, a couple married in 2005 after 12 years together. so now they have a baby in the family. a little baby boy. >> considering elton john's fashion taste i can't wait to see what kind of clothes they put this kid in. >> that's right. >> that kid will be styling, you know that for sure. >> we know he'll have good music playing in the house no, doubt about that. >> oh, yes. selena gomez, this is not really my entertainment, i feel like i'm way too old for these guys. but i'm sure many fans out there watching this morning. selena gomez and justin bieber apparently are kind of an item here.

apparently two years ago she was seen with a promise ring, which pretty much is kind of the -- >> the real deal. >> the kind of contemporary kind of sign of chastity almost, saving yourself for marriage, very cool, very sweet. apparently she's recently been photographed without -- >> whoops! >> -- the ring. people wondering, he's 16, she's 18, people are speculating, well, did they break the promise? >> she got the bieber fever, huh? >> what's going on there? >> maybe she lost it. >> maybe she lost it, i'm sure it could be something very innocent. but of course people like to speculate. you're a sports nut, you liked this last story. >> i do, this is a very interesting kind of -- president obama placed a call to the eagles owner, the philadelphia eagles, saying he commended him for taking a chance on redeeming michael vick, quarterback michael vick, after he served time for dogfighting. and he also said that he was praising jeffrey lurie about his stadium's plans to go more green. talking about energy and how they were going to be more energy efficient. >> he was dynamite a couple of years ago, now he's getting

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go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil®. here are some of the stories to watch today on abc news. the philadelphia eagles are preparing for tonight's game against the minnesota vikings. sunday's game in philadelphia was postponed due to bad weather. pennsylvania's governor sharply criticized that decision to delay the game. citrus prices are going up in florida as temperatures are heading down in the danger zone again this morning. the "wall street journal" reports orange juice futures are at the highest level in 3 1/2 years. the average price of gas is also up to $3.05 a gallon, up 7 cents from last week and the highest price in more than two years. analysts say the price trend could continue over the next few months. and finally this half hour, the economy of course is always

looking for indicators that things are finally turning around. and the holiday shopping season was supposed to be one of those indicators. >> and then the blizzard of 2010 came. so did retailers have a white christmas? or were they buried by it? here's chris bury. >> reporter: the blizzard slowed but could not stop the post-holiday retail ritual. in new york, the intrepid rode subways to ring the registers at queens mall. >> it was worth it, yeah, definitely. >> who doesn't love snow? >> as long as the credit card's swiping we're in business. >> reporter: nationwide, holiday sales are on track to be the strongest in three years. up 5.5% over 2009. >> you've got to assume when they dig out the next day or two, that post-christmas demand will return. >> reporter: the blizzard spared the middle of the country so here at woodfield mall outside chicago, among 10,288 parking spaces, you couldn't find an empty one. what's bringing those crowds to malls like this? >> bought myself stuff i didn't get for christmas. >> reporter: mall manager mark stritch found personal

purchases, not returns, leading the way at 300 stores here. is this your best season since the recession? >> yes, it is. things have definitely gotten better. we had record years before the economic downturn and we are working our way back in that direction. >> reporter: the snowed-in, of course, could shop online. those sales up 12% from last year. but consumer demand seems so strong that not even this can keep americans from their malls. chris bury, abc news, schaumburg, illinois. >> consider this stat in terms of the totality of shopping in this country. between november 5th and december the 24th, people spent $584.3 billion. that's literally a 5.5% increase over last year and the biggest increase since 2007. almost $600 billion we spent in 50 days. >> retailers also say this year they didn't have to do as many deep, deep discounts. still sales but they were able to kind of enjoy that profit still sales but they were able to kind of enjoy that profit margin a a a a a a a a a a a a a

today, we gather to recognize the selfless decision of one of the most influential women of our time. the woman who, after having one too many drinks, chose not to drive home buzzed. here today to honor rachel is the family whose lives she spared. unless it's also a scrub. lysol complete clean dual action wipes have 2 sides that go beyond ordinary wipes. you can feel the difference. and it kills 99.9% of germs. for tips on a healthy home visit lysol.com/missionforhealth. check for coupons in your sunday paper.

digging out after up to two feet of snow. the blizzards that caused floods and even a fast-moving fire. terror targets. the suspected christmas bomb plot in london and why police now believe the u.s. embassy was at risk. and, memorable moves from the super bowl to the world cup to lebron james. >> i'll take my talent and -- >> the year in sports. it's tuesday, december 28th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i don't believe, you know -- i have no doubt that the biggest story of 2010 clearly the saints winning the super bowl. willis agrees with that. >> i thought you were going to say the world cup. the saints, yeah,

congratulations. had a good run this past year and back in the playoffs. >> back in the playoffs, after beating atlanta, those dirty birds last night, which i wore my fleur-de-lis tie, black and gold tie, feeling good. we'll see what the other big sports stories of the year were coming up in a few minutes. good morning, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm mike marusarz. vinita nair is off this morning. the northeast is still struggling after a knockout punch from the blizzard of 2010. you can see why. snow totals range anywhere from three feet in rahway, new jersey, to two feet in brooklyn, and a foot in philadelphia. >> the storm has left thousands of travelers stuck in airports across the country. here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: they're calling it the snow-nado. waist-high drifts. weird bouts of lightning. and blinding 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts. >> sometimes you can see 15 feet in front of you, sometimes 30, then sometimes nothing. >> reporter: so much snow it brought the east coast to an eerie standstill. brooklyn, new york. washington, d.c. newport news, virginia.

philadelphia fought mother nature with an army of plows. durham, north carolina, with an old broom. >> everybody go to the back! >> reporter: in new york, more than 500 passengers were stuck inside subway cars. some upwards of eight hours. they could see the train platform but couldn't get the doors open. >> we're not going nowhere. not one damn train. no heat. >> reporter: negotiating city streets proved difficult for pedestrians, impossible for some drivers. highways were littered with cars. drivers stranded for hours. >> i was so scared last night. i've never been scared with a snow storm before last night. >> reporter: for andrew louda, home from a six-month deployment, was stuck on the side of the road with his wife and 3-month-old baby for eight hours. >> just feeding him as much as we had, the apple sauce we had in the trunk, the bottles we had made. we had him wrapped up in three

snowsuits, his regular clothes, two blankets, bundled up against us trying to keep him warm. >> reporter: those who tried to fly away from the storm ended up sleeping at the airport. more than 5,000 flights across the country canceled. this man told us he is desperate to get to an event -- his wedding. >> hopefully i'll make it by day after tomorrow. >> reporter: new york's three airports are now partially open but there are still hundreds of cancelations and delays. if you're headed to an airport, the best bet, call ahead and pack your patience. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> mountains of snow will be around awhile. the 2010 blizzard is forcing a rare event for the nfl.

the first tuesday night game since, get this, the mid '40s. workers in philadelphia were busy digging out lincoln financial field. where the eagles will play the vikings tonight. the game had been postponed from sunday. as one vikings player said, in the midwest there's no way it would have been delayed. >> we'll see what happens. the blizzard also causing major flooding and erosion problems along the new england coastline. ass. inne. jeremy hubbard is joining us this morning from scituate with the very latest. good morning, jeremy. >> reporter: good morning from scituate, massachusetts. this town bore the brunt of 20 to 30-foot seas that whipped over the sea wall, brought on by this winter storm. certainly not the normal picture of a blizzard we're all used to seeing. this flooding has taken over neighborhoods of this town. the winds whipped the sea into the city. dramatic pictures from monday morning. firefighters actually went to try to battle a house fire that started at one house, an p electrical fire, then spread to another house. they not only tried to fight the fires, they also tried to rescue people here in town. they were successful.

about 80 people overall along the coast had to be rescued by these high waters. it's just one of the problems they're dealing with here in massachusetts after the blizzard. the other thing, logan airport. they've been desperately trying to clear the runways there. they've done a great job of it so far. they have these massive snowplows with almost 70-foot-long blades and they line up like an armada as they clear off the runway there. airport officials tell us that they have stayed on top of the storm by battling it 24 hours a day. if you had to guess the number of tons of snow that's been moved out there over the last few hours, any idea? >> hundreds. snow melters are melting snow and they melt snow at approximately 120 tons per hour. >> reporter: back here, one of the concerns will be high tide. high tide is what brought on these big waves that flooded neighborhoods twice on monday. they don't think that when the tide hits early tuesday morning and tuesday afternoon, it will be this bad. certainly neighbors here hope

that's not the case. mike and rob, back to you. >> rough scene out there for sure. there's no calm after the storm. even though the snow has stopped the winds are still howling in some parts. >> accuweather's ava dinges has the details. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and mike. in the aftermath of this epic blizzard, we still unfortunately have some problems to deal with. the storm is lifting into atlantic canada so all that snow has ended even thougho the northea we have lak cf1 northeast is still those really strong winds. not only is it going to make it brutally cold outdoors, we're also going to see significant blowing and driftingt gusts as hih asmlesr hour along the east coast. any time they try to clean off the roadways it's only going to blow the snow right back on. behind the storm the cold is really digging all the way into the southeast. atlanta starting off the day at 18 degrees. all across florida freezin major concern especi jacsonvat's reo heirat 4 atwi he forifor now back to you, rob and mike. >> ava, thanks. here's the rest of your tuesday forecast.

in addition to all that wet weather out west, look at up to 3 feet of snow in the cascades and the sierra range. the rockies will see about a foot of snow from northern utah to montana. showers around dallas. and a bit milder in the midwest. >> 29 in the twin cities. 28 in chicago. 38 in kansas city. mostly 30s in the northeast. a wet 45 in seattle. 42 in salt lake city. 51 in sacramento. this morning the state department confirms one of the possible targets of a terror plot in britain was the u.s. embassy in london. nine suspects were rounded up in a raid last week and appeared in court yesterday. the bbc's jon brain has more. >> reporter: the nine men were brought to westminster magistrates court after a week of questioning by counterterrorism officers. the two suspects arrested in london were the first to appear in the dock. followed by three men from cardiff and four from stoke-on-trent. they spoke only to confirm their names, ages and addresses. the men were seized in coordinated raids last monday. they've been charged with

conspiracy to cause explosions and engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism. the court was told they're accused of agreeing potential targets for attack, carrying out reconnaissance on those targets, and igniting and testing incendiary material. it's alleged the london stock exchange was one of the high-profile locations the gang planned to attack. the american embassy was another. the suspects are also charged with possessing documents containing information likely to be of use to terrorists. in the form of this extremist jihadi newsletter. the nine men who appeared here were arrested. they've all been remanded to custody. they'll appear at the old bailey in the new year. jon brain, bbc news, westminster magistrates court. a lawsuit in florida over a winning lottery prize could make you think twice about chipping in to buy tickets as part of a

pool. one such deal in a retirement community north of orlando went bad. there's a fight over a ticket purchased by eight country club members and employees. that ticket, it's worth $16 million. but one of those pool players says the others will not give her her fair share of all those winnings. so now that jackpot, you guessed it, is all tied up in court.

last march, president obama signed into law the sweeping health care reform bill. one provision it avoided was controversial end of life care. >> thought it was gone from the final law, it has now not been forgotten. dr. timothy johnson has the story of one woman's choice of what to do when her choices ran out. >> reporter: 63-year-old lois riley was living the life she always imagined. a loving marriage, a fulfilling job, and a family complete with three daughters and four grandchildren. but what she did not plan on was the devastating diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer. >> it made me angry, it made me sad. i didn't want to hear that. i wanted to hear that i was going to get strong and beat this. >> reporter: lois faced an

agonizing decision. battle her cancer with aggressive chemotherapy, but no assurances of prolonging her life. or undergo less intensive chemo. >> i could have gone on treatment that would have put me back on the couch, sick. not working, not able to be with the kids. and i said no. i'd much prefer this less medically invasive way of operating. >> fair to say you're obviously more interested in the quality of your life than the quantity of your life? >> absolutely. and what i do is snapshots in my mind of meaningful moments. i don't have the camera in my hand but everything is important to me. i don't want to let any moment go unnoticed. >> reporter: dr. alexi wright is lois riley's oncologist at boston's dana farber cancer institute. she has studied the impact of end of life conversations on a patient's treatment. >> we found that patients who had these conversations had

better outcomes, and they were not more likely to be distressed. >> reporter: the studies also determined that those who died in hospitals experienced more physical and psychological discomfort than those who died at home. and that the psychological distress was not limited to just the patients. >> family members had a five-fold higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder if their loved one died in the intensive care unit. >> reporter: according to one national survey, 80% of terminally ill patients prefer to live out their last days at home as opposed to a hospital. have you talked about what kind of treatments you might want at a certain point or not? >> i expect that my quality of life that i treasure will be compromised at some point. my life has been full of wonderful things. and i'd like to have a few more. so while i'm still here, i'm going to do everything i can to really live.

>> reporter: dr. timothy johnson, abc news, boston. >> the "new york times" is reporting that under a new policy, outlined in medicare regulations, the government would pay doctors to advise patients on options for end of life care, which may include advanced directives to forego those aggressive life-sustaining treatments. >> the white house is denying that, of course, but that's where that phrase death panels came from during the health care debate. doctors advising on end of life. a very touchy issue and to each his own on that one. when we come back, memorable moments from the past year. >> we are looking back at what kept sports fans captivated during 2010. you're watching "world news now." ne

well, my new orleans saints not only looking to clinch a playoff spot last night, they were also looking for revenge on the road against the dirty birds of atlanta. we go to the fourth quarter and the falcons up 14-10.

that's when the man drew brees marched the saints down the field. six-yard td pass to jimmy graham. saints get the big road win last night, 17-14, and with that win they clinch a playoff spot as they go for the, what, the repeat, baby. >> you've got to get that interception problem dialed in. two picks. >> wasn't pretty. a "w" is a "w." you can ask any saints fan, they'll tell you this was their big year. really it was an amazing year for all kinds of sports fans. >> from the world series to tiger woods' fall from grace to the ncaa cinderella story. t.j. winick looks back at the year that was in sports. >> reporter: the saints came marching in to the super bowl. shouldering a region's hopes and dreams. drew brees and company answered the faithful's prayers. >> onside kick to start the second half! >> reporter: with a gutsy call and an untimely interception. new orleans' first lombardi trophy.

bourbon street rejoiced. the world turned its attention to another kind of football. all the buzz during the world cup was about south africa's native horn. it was landon donovan who supplied the drama. >> and donovan has scored! oh, can you believe this! >> reporter: despite his efforts, america's hopes faded quickly in the quarterfinals against ghana. spain went on to capture the world cup. at wimbledon, rafael nadal won for the second time. an epic battle between john isner and nicolas mahut which lasted 11 hours over three days made this a grand slam to remember. >> cabrera will cut it out. galarraga. he's out! no, he's safe! >> reporter: umpire jim joyce cost armando galarraga perfection in the final out. but in the year of the pitcher five others drew no-hitters. including phillies ace roy halladay who did it twice. using this blueprint the giants' dominating pitching staff in the fall classic.

>> here it is. struck him out! and for the first time since 1954, the giants are world champions. >> reporter: in the nhl, another championship drought was ended as the chicago blackhawks hoisted the stanley cup for the first time in 39 years. no love was lost between the lakers and celtics as they reunited for the 12th time in the nba finals. l.a. dunked boston in their nail-biting game seven. the franchise's 16th championship. jimmie johnson was pushed to the limit in the chase for the cup. an unprecedented fifth straight championship. >> i am deeply sorry. i had affairs. i cheated. >> tiger woods spent 2010 repairing his image while his golf game and personal life crumbled. millions tuned in to watch lebron's "decision." >> take my talent -- >> reporter: king james felt the heat, leaving home for a fresh start in miami. michael vick's fresh start in

philadelphia took flight. which reminded us of his talents, not his troubled past. brett favre's consecutive start streak became a thing of the past, ending at 297. in men's basketball, butler was inches away from defeating coach k. and the blue devils. on the ladies' side, the uconn huskies remained perfect, surpassing ucla's 88-game winning streak and winning their second straight championship. in 2010, the sports world said good-bye to many unforgettable heroes, including ucla's coach john wooden and yankees owner george steinbrenner. even as the year comes to an end, there is already plenty to cheer for in 2011. some in the sports world will likely write the final chapter

of their careers, and others will write new ones. t.j. winick, abc news. >> could my kansas city chiefs be the cinderella story and make a run to the super bowl? >> i know that is your wish, that is your hope and your dream. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

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call this toll-free number now. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> kind of a fun comparison about the who's who in our society. "usa today" and gallup poll released their results of who are the most admired people. both male and female. and president barack obama, for the third straight year, was the most admired male. he won that. looks very admirable in casual duds. >> a rock star pic there for the president. >> no doubt about that. and for the women's side, impressive run. >> i mean, oprah winfrey's on the list, queen elizabeth's on the list, angelina jolie, margaret thatcher. but topping the list? >> secretary of state hillary clinton. for the ninth straight year,

which i thought was very impressive. taking the top three for the men, george w. bush and bill clinton also rounding out the top three. >> interesting here, not on either top ten list for men or women, no supreme court justice, no current senator or congressman no, athlete, no scientist. >> and no rob nelson. i'm very surprised. >> stunning. >> i mean, what happened? >> where's "the situation"? >> where's "the situation"? >> where's the crew on this tuesday morning? >> mike sorrentino, "the situation." >> halloween show. get your reaction to this, a new study that comes from "the daily mail." more than 60% of women in relationships do not feel comfortable eating in front of their partner, and almost half get shy when undressing, according to research. >> huh. you know -- >> what's your reaction to this, michael? >> let me say this. >> break it down. >> for the first part of it, eating sometimes -- i am kind of weird about that, i don't know

why. >> in front of your wife? >> somebody just staring at you. >> no, sitting across the table, not like -- >> conversing and all that? >> i would say something messy like a taco, ribs. i love you too. >> sort of like this -- >> a little too close. >> i don't know. what about the undressing? that's kind of weird. >> i think women are self-conscious about sometimes their body. i think dudes, we're like, whatever. we're fat and happy. but anyway. thought that was interesting. >> it is interesting. next up, let's talk about a bear who steals a car. and apparently this is what happened in russia. i don't know -- >> we're debating whether this is real or fake. >> this video is two minutes long and we edited it down. it was a straight shot, no cuts in the video. we did cut it down because of time-wise. but look at this. throws everything out of the back -- >> this bear is basically jacking this minivan. >> yes. van-jacking, if you will. there's no way. >> this is fake video. are you buying this? you believe that? >> i don't know, what is the age for bears to drive in russia? >> i don't know. >> we talked about that earlier. >> come on. >> there he is! >> oh, look. >> he's the one that's been driving the show all along.c 0ññ

northeast nightmare. the unforgettable storm that left up to two feet of snow, seaside floods, and caused a fire that spread from house to house. going public. the pilot who videotaped airport security problems. >> and now that it's gone worldwide, i was pretty shocked. >> his first interview. and, right and wrong. controversy over a game show, a mistake, and who should have won a grand prize. it's tuesday, december 28th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> yeah, and mike feels very

strongly about the game show story, you're into it, you're passionate. >> i feel bad. this guy is on a game show, play a game, didn't turn out how he thought it would, goes home, becomes more frustrated. we'll have the story coming up. it will frustrate a lot of people out there, no doubt. >> it does seem a little unfair. we'll see how it turns out. good morning and thanks for being with us. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm mike marusarz sitting in for vinita nair. thousands of stranded travelers may finally be headed somewhere today. they've been stuck after the blizzard of 2010 virtually shut down new york city. >> and a mess. we're hearing some unforgettable horror stories now. t.j. winick has the latest. >> reporter: the city that never sleeps has been brought to its knees. for many, an extended holiday weekend. >> it's a nice time to stay at home and enjoy the family, and that will let our city workers who are trying to clean the streets have a little more

flexibility. >> reporter: 20 inches of snow fell in central park. >> thought more streets would actually be cleared, some of the side streets. then when i came out here i realized how bad it was. >> reporter: heavy accumulation and strong winds have crippled travel across the entire region. 2 1/2 feet fell in elizabeth, new jersey. carrie was one of 60 motorists stranded overnight on new jersey's route 280. >> we could see the whole open highway in front of us. and can't understand why they can't get a plow. >> reporter: also trapped, nearly 500 passengers on four unheated subway cars stalled in snowdrifts near kennedy airport. the riders were stranded from 1:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. >> not going nowhere. not one damn train. no heat. >> reporter: amtrak has restored service between new york and boston. incredibly, new york city mayor michael bloomberg said the biggest cost to the city would not be snow removal, but the loss of sales tax revenue from all those post-christmas sales that folks here just could not make it out to. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. and passengers literally started clapping as the first plane since the blizzard landed at new york's laguardia airport. planes have also started landing again at newark and jfk airports after crews spent the day removing all that snow. some airline passengers could

still be stuck for days. many planes are simply booked solid and airlines are operating fewer flights because of the economic downturn. and to the north now, massachusetts has been pounded by powerful winds from that blizzard, and boston is still digging out from a record snowfall there. >> dozens of homes along the coastline are evacuated this morning because of the flooding. jeremy hubbard is in scituate, massachusetts. >> reporter: good morning to you. parts of scituate, massachusetts, were flooded again late monday by 20 to 30-foot seas whipped up by a winter storm. this is not the normal picture of a blizzard. these are the almost hurricane-like remnants of a storm system full of surprises. the sea came crashing down on the blizzard-battered town of scituate, massachusetts. >> i haven't seen anything like this in a long time. >> blizzard on top of the water. we're used to all of this being in new england, living by the ocean. this is pretty intense. >> reporter: 12 hours earlier here, snow and wind, then floods and fire. the ocean spilled into town,

eight feet deep, causing an electrical blaze that spread from one home to a second. firefighters risked their lives in chest-deep water to save property and people. >> northeasters up here are almost worse than hurricanes. >> reporter: the boston area was in this blizzard's crosshairs. more than a foot of snow, wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour. tens of thousands without power. at logan airport, we were given rare access to the tarmac where the determined ground crew tried to stay ahead of the storm. >> the drifting is giving us more problems than any of the accumulation. >> if you had to guess the number of tons of snow that's been moved out there the last few hours, any idea? >> hundreds. snow melters are melting snow and they melt snow at

approximately 120 tons per hour. >> reporter: in blinding conditions, an armada of snow-moving machines with nearly 70-foot-long plows began pushing away the leftovers of a 24-our onslaught. >> it's almost like having three storms. we have the snow and we have the heavy winds, then when we get to melting at the end of the week we're going to have to go out there and scrape again. >> reporter: throughout the region residents can relate, after a blizzard that has left thousands digging out or battening down. back here in scituate, massachusetts, one of the concerns will be high tide. high tide is what brought on these big waves that flooded neighborhoods twice on monday. they don't think when the tide hits early tuesday morning and tuesday afternoon it will be this bad. certainly neighbors here hope that's not the case. mike and rob, back to you. >> true mess up and down the coast, unbelievable. all that snow piled up across the northeast is not going anywhere for days. >> a meltdown may not happen until the end of the week.

accuweather meteorologist ava dinges has the latest. >> good morning, rob and mike. the cleanup continues in the wake of this massive blizzard that affected the northeast, and looking at the snowfall map you can really see why. all in the dark shading of blue. that's areas that received more than a foot of snow just over a two-day period. and any areas that you see even darker blue, that's about 12 to 18 feet of snow. that fell and that even included new york city's central park. we actually set a record. sixth-snowiest blizzard of all-time with 19.8 inches of snow falling in new york city over this blizzard. we set a record in atlantic city for the all-time snowiest day, where they received 17.4 inches. so it looks like we're really going to continue to clean out after this snowstorm. and winds are still going to be a major problem. most of the snow has ended despite some lake effect snow showers coming into upstate new york.

with the winds still racing at 30 to 40 miles per hour, we are talking about widespread drifting and blowing. just as they start to clean off the roads looks like the winds blow it right back on. now back to you, rob and mike. >> oh, great. >> more good news. now to the rest of your tuesday forecast. record lows in florida with freeze warnings even in the miami area. heavy rain from seattle down to san francisco. up to 3 feet of snow in the cascades and the sierra range. up to 1 foot in the northern rockies. >> mostly 40s across the pacific northwest and the rockies. 20s from fargo to minneapolis and detroit. 38 in kansas city. 32 here in new york. 45 in atlanta. 55 in new orleans. a celebration turned deadly in a south florida hotel room. five young men who rented a room to celebrate a 19th birthday were found dead, probably from carbon monoxide poisoning. a car was left running in a closed garage underneath the room after a jump start. police say they found nothing suspicious in the room. they say the deaths were an accident. nine men are being held in britain for allegedly plotting pre-christmas terror attacks. the state department says one of the possible targets was the

u.s. embassy in london. others were the london stock exchange, houses of parliament, and busy shopping areas in britain. the nine suspects were charged in court yesterday after their arrests last week. wikileaks has been spilling the beans about u.s. diplomacy. now its founder wants to tell all in his autobiography. julian assange says his book deal could be worth more than $1 million. the australian computer expert is fighting extradition to sweden where he is accused of sex crimes. he says he did not want to write his memoirs but assange admits he needs money to cover those legal bills. what a precarious position for a little one out in oklahoma. >> a calf ventured into the middle of a frozen pond and literally found itself skating on thin ice. luckily a news station helicopter came to the rescue. the pilot hovered over the pond and the powerful wind from the chopper's blades pushed the calf closer to dry land. the ice eventually cracked but the calf still made to it safety. >> a few years ago he saved a deer that was stuck on the ice. a pattern for this guy. well done. >> very impressive. making the news rescuing calves. >> he does it all. we'll be right back. welcome back, everybody. if your racing thoughts keep you awake...

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welcome back, everybody.

well, last week we told you about an airline pilot who posted a controversial cell phone video showing a lot of weaknesses in airport security. >> he revealed the information anonymously, but now he is going public to explain why he did it. george warren of sacramento's kxtv reports. >> my name is chris liu and i'm an airline pilot. >> reporter: this week chris liu is not just an airline pilot, he's the pilot who posted this video on youtube pointing out what he believes is a serious flaw in airport security. >> well, i just found a disparity between what happens upstairs and what happens downstairs. upstairs they're going through all the metal detectors and the x-ray machines, and downstairs they're swiping a card. >> reporter: there's really nothing in this video that an observant passenger couldn't see on their own. >> like i said, i didn't think that this was going to get this much traction. this is just kind of a -- a

little video that i did. and now that it's gone worldwide, i was pretty shocked. >> reporter: the traction largely came as a result of the tsa's response to the video. when a team of six federal agents and sheriff's deputies showed up on liu's driveway. out on that same driveway, we asked liu's wife sandra about the attention that has now been focused on her husband and her family. >> i think my husband was very courageous. and he did what he believed was right. his choice was to post the videos on youtube. not with the intention of making this into a huge news story, because this is not all about us, it's about the safety of every american, and it's about keeping things in perspective. >> well, i never even thought about being an activist.

but it's kind of turning into that direction. >> reporter: liu chose to go public now to tell federal officials he is ready to continue this discussion face to face. and then he wants to go back to being a pilot. >> all i'm looking out for is the flying public. i just want to start from point "a" and go to point "b" and if the flight is really boring, i've achieved my mission. >> reporter: george warren for abc news, placer county, california. >> interesting backstory here on this guy. our sacramento affiliate kxtv, they had a previous relationship with this guy because last july the rental house was destroyed by an arsonist. firefighters who tried to enter the home were burned in that incident. they said they knew this guy from a previous news story, they reconnected. >> good journalism to stay in contact and break that story. by the way, chris will be coming up on "good morning america" today so look for that interview as he will be talking more about his experience, why he shot the video, what he saw, and his reaction to it, to the reaction. >> a discussion this country still needs to have about security so should be good. country

still needs to have about security so should be good.

back to the top story most of us on the east coast will be talking about for a while. anyone trying to fly in or out of the bad weather. >> thankfully the snow has stopped falling but the aftermath of this blizzard of 2010 is just as bad as the storm itself. here's american landscape coverage now from new york's wabc. >> this is the news leader, channel 7 eyewitness news at 11:00. >> are you out of your mind? >> talk about a big ouch. the cleanup of the holiday blizzard off to a painful start in some neighborhoods across our area. >> good evening to you at 11:00.

i'm liz cho. >> i'm bill ritter. the most important question for hundreds of thousands of people tonight, will the trains finally be running again tomorrow? right now we have good news. limited good news. our team of reporters will help us navigate the trains and roads across the area tonight. we're going to begin with the rails. josh einiger at the lirr station in port washington with our lead story. >> reporter: it is limited good news for long island railroad riders, particularly people who rely on the babylon, the huntington, the port washington branches. i have specific new information you'll want to take down so get a pen, i'll have it in a minute an a hlf.o cf1 ows, ews 'll bottom line is that progress across the system remains very slow. tonight the long island railroad finally showed signs of life. almost 24 hours after operations froze over, the first lirr trains pulled into stations across the island, carrying weary travelers who spent hours stranded in the city. john spent sunday night on the

couch in his office. >> i could still be there. there's no doubt about that, i could still be there, wondering what's next. >> reporter: it was a tough fight all day for hundreds of railroad workers fighting punishing conditions to clear track switches and third rails of the relentlessly drifting snow. by tonight locomotives had cleared enough of a path the railroad could start limited service. >> that was the first train and i was wondering if it's the last. i said, let me take it. >> reporter: ava gerard jumped on the first train she could find, even though she ended up in port washington, miles from

her home in westbury. it beat her experience last night, when she bedded down in a rail car full of strangers on a track beneath penn station. >> most people slept. i'm afraid because i was alone, by the couples they just cuddled up and slept. those in new jersey, they're not fighting the flames or the elements, they are simply fighting the snow. they were clobbered with some of the biggest snow totals in our area. in elizabeth, 32 1/2 inches. digging out there is a massive undertaking. nina pineda is there tonight. >> reporter: liz, you can hear the fatigue in the voice of the police captain from elizabeth who took us for a ride in his suv. they've been trying to dig out for the second night in a row. this is what's making it so hard. there's nowhere for all the snow to go. 10, 12-foot-high piles on every sidewalk and every corner. you don't have to ride far just to see really what they're up against. >> as you can see ahead of us, this car just can't make it. >> he needs a little running start. >> reporter: there is no rest for the elizabeth, new jersey, pd.

their city's at the epicenter of the blizzard, close to 32 inches of snow has meant continuous back-breaking work. can you believe what you're seeing? >> this is pretty awesome over here. there's nowhere to put the snow. we've been at it over 24 hours. plowing, rescuing people from disabled vehicles, towing. >> reporter: there are roads blocked by dead cars. stuck cars too numerous to count, passable streets a gamble many people are risking. bmw, rear-wheel drive, great car? >> really bad for snow. >> reporter: even the plows are spinning their wheels in the deep drifts. now what are you going to do? >> i'm going to unstick myself. >> reporter: a task easier said than done. and every buried block you look down is the same story. >> it would be nice if they'd just stay home. >> so glad i moved back here from the south. it's been a good welcome. kind of crazy. we should mention for travelers out there, the new york's three main airports are at least partially open as is boston's airport as well. call ahead and check. it's going to be a mess for all

those folks traveling out there. on the east side of the country, 60 to 90-minute delays. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

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a story that angers mike to no end this morning. >> very upset. >> imagine you're a few answers away from winning a million bucks on a game show, only to lose on a question you actually got right but you were told was wrong. >> that's what happened to a couple and now they're facing another question. do they go for broke again? here's ryan owens. >> you look so confident. >> reporter: for the first timej

that almost made them millionaires. gabe okoye and brittany matyi were contestants on the fox show "million dollar money drop." producers gave them a million bucks to bet on a series of questions. including which product came first? the macintosh computer, the sony walkman, or the post-it note? >> are you sure? >> 15 seconds. >> of course! >> like, i really, truly believed him. >> reporter: show producers didn't. saying the walkman was first. and that $800,000 dropped right out of the couple's hands. >> technically, it was our money. you know. no matter how you kind of spin it. i mean, they did give it to us. >> reporter: viewers suspected gabe was right and proved it. it turns out 3m sold the first post-its in 1977 under the name press and peel, then changed the name the same year the sony walkman hit store shelves. fox producers finally admitted their research department made a

mistake. so they're going to give all the money back to the couple, right? wrong. all the show offered is a do-over. the online outrage was immediate. come on, rupert scrooge murdoch, give them the money or cancel the dang show. the couple hasn't decided if they'll go back on the money drop or just drop it. >> if you get $800,000, stick with it. >> reporter: ryan owens, abc news, los angeles. >> i am outraged. >> that's absolutely disgusting. they need to give this couple their money. they were going to give them money if they got the question right, at least in the eyes of the producers. >> and they did. >> so give them their money. ridiculous. >> the best they're doing is a do-over. come back and fight for something you already won rightfully the first time?

holiday hassles. travelers stuck from coast to coast because of the northeast blizzard. the storm's unforgettable impact. lessons learned about texting, driving and crashing. >> it was a direct collision. >> targeting teens with a life-saving message. and profit picture. a surprising post-holiday retail trend. it's tuesday, december 28th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> yeah, so a lot of people were hoping to head out after christmas, and new york there was a blizzard so they didn't get a chance to do that. maybe online really helped but still pretty impressive numbers

for retailers. >> the best year since i think 2007. so can't complain too much for the slow rebound which is nice. >> good morning, everyone. i'm mike marusarz. vinita nair is off this morning. >> i'm rob nelson. the three major new york city airports are open once again this morning after being shut down since sunday because of the big blizzard. >> crews across the northeast are busy digging out and it could be a very big job, especially in rahway, new jersey, where nearly three feet of snow fell. john hendren has the latest on the big storm. >> reporter: on the massachusetts coast high winds caused flooding making it look more like the aftermath of a hurricane than a snowstorm. in case you haven't been outside in the past 24 hours or so, in new york, the city that never sleeps is now resting under a fresh blanket of snow. a torrent of swirling snow blanketed new york landmarks. grounding taxis and travelers, trapping more than 500 subway passengers overnight. >> no heat, no nothing. >> reporter: on the massachusetts cape, blinding snow meant rising waters. evacuating homes and shorting

electrical wires creating a mix of snow, fire, and water. that is just the vanguard of a massive storm. >> it was a great range anywhere from a dusting right around washington, d.c. to almost two feet of snow out on the eastern shore. ocean city, atlantic city, many of the coastal areas had some of their biggest snows of all-time. >> reporter: from the carolinas to canada, thousands of grounded passengers. >> it may be tuesday when we get to go home. >> reporter: east coast delays set off a chain reaction, stranding travelers as far away as indianapolis. that wasn't on megan marks' t[o itinerary. >> spent the night here last night. probably stay again tonight.

>> reporter: from new york to maine the rails offered little refuge. >> we had heard they were already canceled. canceled the trains. >> reporter: thousands of motorists were driven indoors. in philadelphia, snow shut down sunday's eagles/vikings game, but stadium workers cleared the seats for a tuesday makeup match. >> let's go eagles! come on, baby! >> reporter: this is the first big storm of the season and forecasters say it could be the worst. bringing a change in weather patterns and more balmy temperatures to come. rob and mike? >> still a mess. and there of course will be plenty of stories told about the blizzard of 2010. one of them's actually posted on youtube, showing the damage from a front-end loader stuck in a new york neighborhood. >> oh my god. >> just tore that car apart. a front-end loader being pulled out of a snowdrift in brooklyn smashed up the suv parked right next to it. onlookers, including the suv's owner, screamed at that sanitation workers, who decided maybe they'd better stop and call a supervisor. >> yikes. the 2010 blizzard actually

started out in california where they had record rainfall. david muir has a look at the storm which traveled from west to east. >> reporter: it rained for a week straight in california, and that rain of course led to those mudslides that swallowed cars and nearly entire homes. 11 california counties were under states of emergency. and as the storm system moved eastward and the air grew colder it buried parts of the rockies with up to 9 feet of snow. in some places talk of the biggest christmas avalanche warnings ever. after it dipped to the south it barreled upward into the northeast. bringing that hurricane-strength blizzard to life. >> what a messy december from one end of the country to the next. abc's david muir reporting there. this blizzard is going down in history as one of the worst ever. >> accuweather meteorologist ava dinges is looking at the records. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and mike. cleanup definitely continues in

the wake of this epic snowstorm that hit the northeast. in fact, it's one that will go down for the record books. new york's central park received 19.8 inches of snow. that's the sixth-snowiest snow storm of all time. atlantic city got about 17.4 inches just in one day. that's their snowiest day of all-time. widespread across the northeast, we saw more than a foot of snow. the darkest shading of blue from new jersey into new hampshire, 18 plus inches over a two-day span. localized areas in new jersey received more than 30 inches of snow. the snow has ended for the northeast, at least as far as the blizzard is concerned. that is lifting all the way into atlantic canada. behind it the cold winds are still kicking off lake effect snow showers in upstate new york right around syracuse. with the strong winds blowing and drifting is still a major concern. pretty hard to clean up the snow when it keeps blowing around. these winds will finally start to taper down as we head into the night. back to you, rob and mike. >> thanks, ava. here's the rest of your tuesday weather. frigid in the florida area with

freeze warnings. expect record lows in the 20s and 30s. stormy in the west. up to 2 inches of rain around seattle, portland, and san francisco. another 3 feet of snow in the cascades and the sierra range. >> 43 meanwhile in boise. 51 in sacramento. and 63 in phoenix. upper 20s from minneapolis to indianapolis. 38 in your hometown of kansas city. 49 in dallas. mostly 30s from boston to baltimore. the damaging effects of california's rainfall are still lingering. along the coast, beaches are closed because of sewage spills brought on by the floods. in the hills, it's a muddy mess. kabc's leticia juarez reports on the cleanup. >> reporter: the cleanup in east highland began at sunup. bobcats scooped up mud and moved it to the streets to be picked up later by dump trucks. by mid-morning nick hernandez was able to get his 2004 harley out of the garage. >> it's been a frustrating time, really. i mean, these guys are just great. you know, i just can't say

enough about the people that have helped us here. >> reporter: over the weekend, county and city crews along with 300 california department of corrections and rehabilitation inmates cleared streets. and a drainage channel once filled with mud and debris is now flowing again. >> we're continuing to clean up and we're continuing to mitigate. we've been putting up sandbag diversion walls and k-rails throughout the city. >> reporter: cal fire crews worked with contractors to clear out two basins responsible for last week's mud slide.

the hillsides in highland have been sloughing off because of the heavy rain. all of that drain-off is coming here to this basin which if you take a look you can see it's already getting pretty full. the threat of more rain has crews working overtime to remove as much as 50,000 cubic yards of debris filling the basin. meanwhile, residents will be getting a little more help. on tuesday, more than 400 volunteers are expected to descend on the neighborhood to help dig residents out of the mud. >> it will take a long time. >> our thanks to kabc's leticia juarez reporting from southern california. those volunteers should be in the neighborhood later today to continue all that cleanup. police in south florida call it a tragedy at a hotel. a deadly accident there. five young men were found dead, probably from carbon monoxide poisoning. car had been left running in a closed garage underneath their room. the men had rented that room to celebrate the 19th birthdayf one f the vitims. alcol, illel dr anyspicu wee fo. here a morning about the christmas terror plot in london. the state department says the u.s. embassy in london was one of the possible targets. reports say other sites might have included the london stock exchange, houses of parliament, and busy shopping areas. nine suspects accused of plotting the attacks were charged in london court yesterday. and now to politics this morning. lisa murkowski could be officially declared the winner of the alaska senate race by thursday. murkowski won her write-in campaign but her challenger joe miller says he no longer objects to alaska's approval of those election results but that does not mean miller is giving up. he may fight the way the state handled the race and counted the ballots there. >> no recounts needed in the afc west.

the kansas city chiefs are the division champions. obviously making me and other kansas city fans quite proud. >> you're very happy this morning. they braved the cold for hours to get their hands on tickets for the chiefs' first home playoff game since the 2003 season. jackson county residents got first crack at the tickets because their tax dollars largely support the stadium. >> over $300 million to ren know elevate arrowhead and they did a great job. the general public was able to buy tickets later on yesterday afternoon. the game will be held on january 8th or 9th and we don't know who the chiefs will play. but we could be playing in the game, rob. >> look at this. you've got the chiefs, i've got the saints who clearly had a great game against atlanta last night. big news for both our teams. we'll be right back.

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with new year's eve coming up we're reminded about the dangers of drinking and driving. it's not the biggest danger teenagers face. >> phone company at&t has released a documentary reminding teens of a very dangerous combination out there. it involves the company's very own product. here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: where r u? lol. text messages, often short and to the point. but as a new awareness campaign will show you, texts can also be deadly. >> first thing i noticed about her was her shoes lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood. she was going to graduate the next day. just sad. sorry. just -- sad. >> reporter: in a riveting anti-texting and driving documentary, people who know

just how dangerous it can be talk about how their lives were changed by a text. there was a girl who sent the last text her sister ever got. >> if i could talk to her one last time i would just say i'm sorry. >> reporter: he looked down for just a second and hit a cyclist. >> i sent one stupid, meaningless text. lol. and killed a man. >> reporter: then there's a passenger whose life was changed forever when the driver sent a text. >> it was a direct collision. >> reporter: and finally, the mother who threw a birthday party for her daughter. the same girl who never made to it her graduation also never made it to her 19th birthday. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: the dangers of texting and driving have been widely reported, but this documentary targets the heaviest texters. teens. >> you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident if you're texting and driving. we don't want anyone to use our technology unless they're safe. >> reporter: earlier this month, "good morning america" gathered

a group of 16, 17, and 18-year-old drivers at freehold township high school in new jersey to get an honest sense of their texting habits. >> it's like an everyday thing. it's like -- like brushing your teeth. you do it every day. >> it's a big part of me that i can never put my phone in my glove box and leave it there. >> if there's no other cars around i'll text. sometimes i think that i'm invincible or that it can't happen to me. >> reporter: we had nearly 40 high schoolers, many who admitted they text and drive, watch the documentary. >> it's a really horrific scene. >> reporter: when it was over, a surprising response. almost every hand went up. and the teens who first admitted they text while driving now had a whole new attitude.

>> the saddest part is, is that all these kids were my age. >> my first thought after i saw the movie was putting my phone in the trunk. even in the back seat i could still reach it. and i want nothing to do with it after that, watching that video. >> nothing's more important than your life. >> reporter: sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> at&t does deserve some level of credit for putting that out there. we have to wonder after the effects of documentary wear off, whether it's a message that will stick with kids next time they're in the car. hearing it is one thing. actually it's in your hand and the car, that's another set of circumstances. >> yeah, it is troubling. i will say it's not just teenagers. i know that story was about teenagers. adults and e-mail can be just as guilty. >> so many distractions. >> put the phone down. coming up next the blockbuster holiday film with a rather involved behind the scenes romance. >> and what a gift for elton john. that's next in "the skinny."

welcome back, everybody. what a year natalie portman is having. not only a huge success with "the black swan," all kinds of award nominations coming out. even more good news for her now. she is engaged and is pregnant on top of all that.

she's having quite a year here. she's 29 years old and her fiance and father of her child is benjamin millepied, who actually starred with her, as choreographer in real life and also starred with her in the movie. this is the scene with them together. if you saw the movie this now is natalie's man. they met during production of the film and hit it off, apparently. they are engaged and she's 29, he's 33, the baby's due sometime next year. so we want to send our congrats to natalie. she's having a nice 2010. >> yes. >> it's going to be a really cool 2011 for her as well. >> no doubt. she's got a couple of films coming out back to back. >> i think a comedy's next. having seen "black swan," it was kind of a deep, dark kind of thing. taking a lighter turn coming up next. >> very deep in tone. let's talk about elton john. elton john and his partner, david furnish, welcoming a new baby into their family. >> aw, all kinds of baby news in

"the skinny" this morning. >> the baby boy was born on christmas to a surrogate, of course, weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces. the baby's name, zachary jackson levon furnish-john. >> that's the longest baby name -- >> i don't think one of those license plates you're going to find that, necessarily. maybe just zachary there. congratulations to them. this is the first child for john and furnish, a couple married in 2005 after 12 years together. so now they have a baby in the family. a little baby boy. >> considering elton john's fashion taste i can't wait to see what kind of clothes they put this kid in. >> that's right. >> that kid will be styling, you know that for sure. >> we know he'll have good music playing in the house no, doubt about that. >> oh, yes. selena gomez, this is not really my entertainment, i feel like

i'm way too old for these guys. but i'm sure many fans out there watching this morning. selena gomez and justin bieber apparently are kind of an item here. apparently two years ago she was seen with a promise ring, which pretty much is kind of the -- >> the real deal. >> the kind of contemporary kind of sign of chastity almost, saving yourself for marriage, very cool, very sweet. apparently she's recently been photographed without -- >> whoops! >> -- the ring. people wondering, he's 16, she's 18, people are speculating, well, did they break the promise? >> she got the bieber fever, huh? >> what's going on there? >> maybe she lost it. >> maybe she lost it, i'm sure it could be something very innocent. but of course people like to speculate. you're a sports nut, you liked

this last story. >> i do, this is a very this last story. >> i do, this is a very interesting kind of -- president . lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com.

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go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil®. philadelphia eagles prepare for the game against philadelphia. pennsylvania's governor sharply criticized that did sigs to delay the game. citrus prices gorg newspaper florida as temperatures are heading down into the danger zone this morning. "the wall street journal" reports orange juice futures are at the highest level in three and a half years. average price of gas is also up to $3.05 a gallon up 7 6 -- 7 cents from last week and the highest price in more than two years. analysts say the price trend could continue over the next few months. and finally this half hour,

the economy of course is always looking for indicators that things are finally turning around. and the holiday shopping season was supposed to be one of those indicators. >> and then the blizzard of 2010 came. so did retailers have a white christmas? or were they buried by it? here's chris bury. >> reporter: the blizzard slowed but could not stop the post-holiday retail ritual. in new york, the intrepid rode subways to ring the registers at queens mall. >> it was worth it, yeah, definitely. >> who doesn't love snow? >> as long as the credit card's swiping we're in business. >> reporter: nationwide, holiday sales are on track to be the strongest in three years. up 5.5% over 2009. >> you've got to assume when they dig out the next day or two, that post-christmas demand will return. >> reporter: the blizzard spared the middle of the country so here at woodfield mall outside chicago, among 10,288 parking spaces, you couldn't find an empty one. what's bringing those crowds to malls like this? >> bought myself stuff i didn't get for christmas.

>> reporter: mall manager mark stritch found personal purchases, not returns, leading the way at 300 stores here. is this your best season since the recession? >> yes, it is. things have definitely gotten better. we had record years before the economic downturn and we are working our way back in that direction. >> reporter: the snowed-in, of course, could shop online. those sales up 12% from last year. but consumer demand seems so strong that not even this can keep americans from their malls. chris bury, abc news, schaumburg, illinois. >> consider this stat in terms of the totality of shopping in this country. between november 5th and december the 24th, people spent $584.3 billion. that's literally a 5.5% increase over last year and the biggest increase since 2007. almost $600 billion we spent in 50 days. >> retailers also say this year they didn't have to do as many deep, deep discounts. still sales but they were able to kind of enjoy that profit still sales but they were able to kind of enjoy that profit margin a little bit more this

today, we gather to recognize the selfless decision of one of the most influential women of our time. the woman who, after having one too many drinks, chose not to drive home buzzed. here today to honor rachel is the family whose lives she spared.